Chelsea
manager Jose Mourinho was pleased with his side's performance in their away
1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League Group G, despite a
host of missed scoring chances.
The Premier League leaders dominated proceedings in Portugal but spurned a
number of clear-cut opportunities to kill the game after Nemanja Matic
headed them into the lead.
The win helped Mourinho's side move top of the group with four points after
they only managed a draw in their opening at Stamford Bridge against
Schalke.
Despite Chelsea’s profligacy in front of goal, the Portuguese boss praised
the team’s overall performance and was delighted with the team’s shape and
defending.
"Three points is three points," he said. "We lost two at home and now we
have picked up three away from home.
"Chelsea are a young team who sometimes show a lack of efficiency in front
of goal. Sporting lost but they have arguments that they can qualify.
"We didn't kill the game off but we played very well, very compact and we
had complete dominance in defence. Now it is time to rest and then we will
think about Arsenal."
Chelsea face back-to-back games against Maribor in Europe and Mourinho knows
if his team can get positive results in those games they will be in the
driving seat to win the group.
"Now we can control our destiny," he said. "Now we play two matches against
Maribor. But, attention because Maribor has two points.
"They didn't lose in Germany and they didn't lose against Sporting so
Maribor is a team we must give attention to.
"But the reality is now we play at Stamford Bridge and if we manage to beat
them we will have seven points. Seven points is not enough but that will
give us some stability."
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